As one of North America’s finest ski resort establishments, Alta Ski Area has quite the reputation to uphold. There’s no doubt that its locals are still reminiscing on turns they made during the 903″ 22/23 winter season. But at Alta, there appears to be no time for dreaming of the past because the snow just keeps on coming. The future is now!

This past weekend on November 25, Alta fired up two of their most beloved lifts—Collins and Wildcat. This officially marked the resort’s opening for its 86th season (looking good, old-timer). With two feet of snow over the previous week alone, they had a substantial base going to allow for several trails to open. In true Alta style, a Friday storm rolled in and dumped a foot of fresh on the resort. Crazy Karl Fostvedt found his way into some beautiful landings and deep turns, as did local rippers Taylor Pratt and Drew Gilmore.

Like a lonely guy longing for his ex, we hit up Alta as quickly as we could to get some eyes on the sights of opening weekend. Photographer Rocko Menzyk provided the goods as he captured all the beautiful sights, slashes and smiles from behind the camera. Take a look through the full gallery below, and make sure that Alta is on your bucket list this winter.

Editors Note: Alta recommends that ONLY expert skiers visit the resort at this time due to the limited and variable terrain available.

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